Dog Clans
by Kia Usumi
Summary: This is kind of like the Naruto filler epsidoe. Anyway, this story begins before everyone grauduated from the ninja academy. The main character is my own character. I'm not really good at summaries so I'll stop. Please read and review.


Dog Clans

The sun shone on her face. It gave her light colored skin a golden glow. The red stripes under her eyes gave her look of serine beauty. Her lips curved into a soft smile and her light brown hair fell around her head.

"There she is," An attendant walked into the room leading another ninja behind him. He had the same light brown hair and a red mark from his forehead to his nose. He was in the sand Jounin attire.

"The heiress? She looks so, so nice." The man next to the attendant stated. He had dark hair and clear black eyes. He was wearing the same attire but from another village. His forehead protector showed the Hidden Mist sign.

The attendant nodded in agreement.

"Ok, I will send a message back home. Don't forget." He had turned away and started to leave.

"I won't." The attendant watched him leave. "Melina-sama. Time to wake up. You'll be late."

The young heiress stirred and opened one eye. She looked at the attendant questioningly. "Late for what?" She mumbled in a half sleep state.

"You'll be late at the Academy if you don't hurry," The attendant helped her off the couch she was laying on.

"Right, Taki-san." She managed to say before she realized what his word meant. She quickly rushed into the next room and back out in a different attire then her nightgown she was previously wearing. "Bye, Taki-san." She waved to him and rushed out the door and down the street.

"Good-bye, Melina-sama." He inclined his head in a respectful manner and then headed back inside.

Melina skipped (rather ran) down the streets of the Sand Village and to the Academy. A puppy ran beside her. The ears on the puppy matched the style of Melina's hair. Its coat was a creamy color and it had a lot of spunk to keep up with Melina.

Melina ran her hand along the walls of the houses. She didn't have a need to care or to feel anything. That is, until she ran into the crimson haired man in front of her.

Melina landed on her butt and starred with fear at the man in front of her. His bright green eyes were lined with black and he bore the symbol "love" on his forehead. His eyes were set in a glare. Melina stuttered an apology before scampering to her feet and running away. She couldn't help that Gaara of the Sand was the one and only person she feared. She wasn't even afraid of his sister who was always pushing her around.

At the Academy, the morning started with a brief lecture and then shuriken practice. Melina tried hard to throw the shuriken so that it'd hit the center of the target, but her aiming was impaired. She was barely able to keep the shuriken on the target to begin with.

After shuriken practice, the students went back inside to learn a new jutsu. There was a lecture about what it was, how to do it, when to use it, and the importance of the jutsu.

Lunch started shortly after the lecture. Many students who lived close by went home to eat. Others sat down on the grass outside to eat. And still, other students didn't eat at all.

Melina sat in a tree close to the Academy falling asleep. It had been such a slow morning for her. She hadn't been able to concentrate at all. She felt cursed after meeting up with Gaara. Luckily for her, she had gotten away fast enough.

"Hi, Taki-san!" Melina called as she kicked off her shoes and entered the house. The clan house was large and held very few clan members.

"Ah, Melina-sama. How was your day at the Academy?" Taki asked. He was wearing an apron.

Melina laughed slightly. "It was good. We learned a new jutsu today." She collapsed into a chair and rested her elbows on the table. "How did your day go?" She asked curiously eyeing his apron.

He pulled off the apron and hung it up. "Fine," Taki answered the question. "Would you like a snack before we eat?"

"Sure!" Melina sat up in her seat. Cookies were put in front of her and she started to nibble on one. Melina went through four cookies before she finally managed to ask, "Are any of the clan members going to join us for dinner tonight?"

Taki looked up from the newspaper he had in his hands. He didn't respond at first and studied the girl to make sure he understood the question. "Yes, would you like to go get them?" He asked in a casual manner.

Melina looked up. She never really got a chance to see any of the other members of the clan. She was the heiress and it seemed the only person she knew from the clan was Taki, her guardian. Her parents were both from the clan, but they weren't around any longer. She didn't know what happened to them and no one would tell her.

"Sure!" Melina answered. "Who?"

"Let's see, Koji and Akio said they'd come," Taki smiled at the heiress. "They live in the house next to us." He told her.

"Ok! I'll go get them." Melina hopped out of her seat and went down the corridor and out the house. She already knew Koji. He was another attendant and looked exactly like Taki but with darker hair. She had met Akio once. He was a very important ninja in the Sand Village. He was very powerful and knew how to handle himself in a mission, at least that's what she heard.

Melina knocked politely on the door. A man answered. He had a lighter brown hair with streaks of blonde in it. He had one red stripe striking his eye. He was wearing dark tan pants, a black shirt, and a dark cream colored jacket. His eyes were a dark brown and he had slightly tanned skin.

"May I help you, Melina-sama?" He asked politely upon seeing who was at the door.

"Ah, um," Melina stuttered, "Is, uh, Akio and, uh, Koji there?" She looked at the taller man not sure what to think. He wore the sand forehead protector around his head and had the look of superiority to her.

"Yes. You'll excuse me." He excused himself to go and find the ones the heiress called for.

Two men came to the door shortly. She noted the first one to have dark brown hair and eyes. He was a little pale. He also wore a forehead protector around his head. He was wearing a light cream shirt and brown pants. He had hand gloves that only covered his palm. He had one red stripe on either hand. She immediately recognized him as Koji.

The other had dark brown hair that looked black. His eyes were a very dark black and he was very pale compared to Koji and herself. He had no visible red stripe like the rest of the clan. He was wearing a black jacket with white fur around the bottom edge. His pants were also black. She assumed this was Akio.

After the silence of Melina studying them, she finally said, "Taki said you'd join us for dinner."

A slight flicker on Koji's face told her it was probably more then just dinner. They both nodded and followed the heiress back to her own clan home.

Dinner was very stiff. No one seemed to want to talk and Melina was slightly depressed. This was her first dinner with other clan members other then Taki.

It was silent by the time they served dessert until Taki casually said, "We have a new mission."

Melina perked up and saw the other two twitch. "What kind of mission?" She asked curiously.

Koji was the first to speak. "You didn't tell her yet?" He looked over at Taki and took a swing of whatever he was drinking.

Melina looked over her shoulder to look at Taki. He was turned around and busy cutting a cake that he had made. He turned to look at the members of the room. He looked from Koji to Melina and back to Koji.

"Yeah," He replied to Koji's remark. "I thought she'd get all excited. Gomen, Melina-sama." He apologized and then went on to explain. "Koji, Akio, and I will all escort Melina-sama to the village of Konoha."

"Konoha!" Melina exclaimed. "The Konoha? The village hidden in leaves? Where our sistering clan is? That's so cool!"

Taki had nodded to every random outburst question the heiress had asked. Koji had been amused by how Melina had fallen over at least six times trying to stand up to make sure she heard what she thought she heard. Akio had looked indifferent with a little amused look.

"When do we leave?" Melina asked.

"We leave tomorrow morning. You should—"

The words "you should" were intertwined with Melina exclaiming, "I should go pack!" She ran out the kitchen down the hall and into her room. It wasn't unusual for her to have so much energy.

When she had left the room, the three men starred at each other. Akio watched the looks on the other two's faces change from amusement to seriousness. Taki watched Akio intently, waiting for him to speak. Koji glanced at the hallway once more before focusing his attention on Akio.

Akio now had their attention. He began to speak for the first time that night. "Does everyone know the plan?"

Melina shoved many things in her bag from clothes to kunai. About halfway through, she realized it would be a better idea to put the shuriken and kunai in a separate pack. She then dumped out her bag and put the kunai and shuriken in a pouch. She had just finished repacking when there was a light knock on the door.

"Melina-sama, may I come in?"

"Oh! Ah, yes come in." Melina was frantically searching for her wallet. She glanced at the dark haired man in her door frame. "Akio-san? Can I help you with something?" She asked stopping her search for now.

"Hmm," He replied looking around the room. "Just making sure you were packing everything you needed," He replied absently. "We will be gone for awhile."

"Ah, um, how long?" Melina had forgotten to ask.

"About a month." Akio replied studying the dog bed in the corner. He hadn't seen the dog and pretended to wonder where it was.

Melina followed his gaze to the dog basket. "Ah! I just remembered!" She rummaged under her bed and pulled out a piece of paper and some bottles. She shoved this into her bag as well. "Ok, I think I'm ready! Let's go!"

Akio couldn't help but chuckle. "Not until morning, Melina-sama. You should get some rest first."

"Right," Melina nodded and ran past Akio and out the door.

Akio followed her.

"Taki-san! Taki-san!" Melina called.

Taki was immediately at her side. "What can I help you with, Melina-sama?"

"I'm going to sleep! So wake me up when its time to go, ok?" She smiled cutely.

"Yes, ma'am." He ruffled her hair. "I'll be sure to wake you up."

"Good night Koji-san, Akio-san." She inclined her head to each one of them and walked back down the hall to her room.

"She's too cute for her own good." Koji muttered.

"That's what we're worried about. And that's why…"

Everyone nodded in agreement on this. They didn't need him to finish his sentence. He didn't even need to say it in the first place.

The next morning, Melina found herself to be the first one awake. She got up and dressed and went into the living room. Koji had slept on the couch. Melina smiled at him. She had respect for all of them. They were the ones that deserved to by the heirs. Not her.

"Mom!" Melina called at the dark haired women in front of her. "Mom! Come back!"

The dark haired women looked back at her. "Goodbye." She said softly. Her body was stained with blood and she had a blank expression. The only emotion shown was a smile on her face.

"Mom! No! Don't leave me! I don't want you to leave me! Please don't!" Melina's desperate attempt was meaningless. The women, her mother, closed her eyes and drifted into a new place. Melina rushed to her side. She shook her mom, staining her hands red. She was too young to have the markings on her face. She didn't know what they meant yet. She was too afraid to know now. She took her blood stained hands to her eyes and put a long triangle stripe to both of her eyes. And she cried.

A hand rested on her shoulder. "Are you ok, Melina-sama?" The man behind her asked.

She looked up wiping a tear from her left eye. Taki was standing behind her. He had a concerned look on his face. "I'm fine." Melina chocked out.

Koji stirred. "What's all this noise about?" He asked looking at the two intruders. "Melina-sama? Are you alright?

"I'm fine. Don't worry about me." She chocked out again. "I'll wait in my room until its time to go." She walked down the hall away from them wiping tears form her eyes.

"She'll be fine."

It was the middle of the day before they actually started out. Akio led the way with Melina right behind him. Taki and Koji were on either side of Melina. They all stayed close together in case of an ambush or any other incident.

The sun was starting to set before long and they made a quick camp. Melina rested her head on Taki's lap and soon fell asleep. That left the older three men wondering what to do.

"A lookout!" Everyone look at Koji "We need a lookout!"

"That's sensible." Akio replied. "You can start." He turned onto his side and ignored the angry glares he was getting from Koji.

Taki shifted his position and laid Melina onto her side beside himself. "Wake me up when it's my shift." He called softly to Koji and fell asleep himself.

Koji stood and hopped into a tree to watch. He was aggravated but did it anyway. It wasn't even an hour after everyone fell asleep when a ninja appeared out of the darkness. Koji leapt down, kunai held out in front of himself, and stopped the ninja before he reached the camp.

The ninja was from the Hidden Mist village. The ninja held out a scroll to Koji.

"State your business." Koji said in a dark tone.

"I am a carrier ninja from the Village Hidden in the Mist. I bring a letter for Taki-sama. I bring no harm to anyone." He stated clearly.

"I'll take that." Koji held out his hand, still holding the kunai to be safe, and took the scroll form the ninja. "That'll be all."

The carrier ninja nodded and disappeared into the night.

"Maybe it's time to change shifts." Koji muttered slipping the scroll into his pouch and jumping back into the tree.

The sun was very bright by morning. Taki was on duty when it was time to go. Everyone was already up and about, cleaning up the camp. Melina lay asleep in the same spot as last night. Taki woke Melina up.

"Time to go." He whispered to her. They were still about two days away from Konoha and they wanted to hurry. Melina sat up and rubbed her eyes. She realized that it was time to go and got up. She followed Akio around for the next 20 minutes until it was time to go.

They were going faster today and it took all Melina had to keep up with them. She sped up when they sped up and was glad when they slowed down.

The same thing happened every night and by the third night they were just a few hours from Konoha.

It was the fourth day when they arrived at Konoha. Melina was so excited when they walked through the streets. Everything was so fascinating to her. She had never been outside her own village before and this was a whole new world for her.

"Where are we going?" She asked the three older men who were following behind their heiress.

"We must go see the Hokage before we do anything. We can not just be here without permission." Taki answered her question. The Hokage already knew that they were coming, but they needed official passes to walk around town without getting attacked.

"Ok!" Melina stopped and waited for the others to get in front of her so she could follow them. She was watching a person walk down the street. She was very fascinated by this. She normally didn't even go outside her own small clan home to realize there were more people than just one clan in a village. (Sorry if I repeated myself here.)

Melina turned back to follow Taki and the others when she realized they weren't there anymore. She looked around frantically.

"Taki-san?" She asked into the crowd. No one responded to this. "Taki-san?" She called again. She began to walk around in search of her lost clan members.

"Taki-san?" Melina called again before running right into a Konoha citizen. "Ow!" She exclaimed when she hit the ground.

"Are you ok?" The person she ran into asked. Melina looked at him. He had messy, short, brown hair. His eyes were a dark brown color and he had red markings on his cheeks. He was wearing a hooded jacket and creamy, tan colored pants.

"Gomen." Was the only thing Melina managed to say to the boy.

"Are you hurt?" The boy looked her over. Melina noted the dog that her own puppy had found.

"Does that dog belong to you?" Melina asked looking at the white colored dog.

"Uh," He looked at where Melina's gaze was. "Yeah, he belongs to me. That your dog?"

"Mm-hmm." Melina replied smiling at the boy now. She had forgotten all about Taki and the others. "Uh, I'm Melina." She said holding out her hand.

The boy shifted the grocery bag he was holding and shook her hand. "The name's Kiba." He replied.

"It's nice to meet you."

Kiba nodded. "I better get going." He added looking around. "Where are your parents?" He could tell that she was not from around here.

Melina got a really dark look on her face. She was about to cry when Kiba quickly said: "Why don't you come with me?"

Melina looked at the boy and nodded solemnly. She thought it was the only way to repay the boy for his kind offer. Kiba led the way through the streets of Konoha and to his house. The house was simple house, not as fancy as her huge mansion but quite lived in a homey feeling.

Kiba set the grocery bag on the counter and unloaded it. Melina invited herself to sit on the couch. She watched intently as Kiba put peanut butter, waffles, and other grocery items in cabinets and the fridge/freezer. Melina silently fell into a light sleep.

"Mother?" A younger Melina asked.

"Hmm?" Her mother looked up from the book she was reading. Her features looked almost the same. Her eyes were a shimmering green and her hair a nice, soft brown color. Her skin was slightly tan from sitting in the sun.

"Are the cookies going to be done soon?" Melina glanced at the oven timer. She still didn't understand what all numbers meant or how to tell time.

"A few more minutes." Her mother replied looking softly at the young girl.

"Un." Melina looked out at the sky from the door. She noticed the squirrel nearby and went outside to chase it. There were days like these nobody could hurt or stop. Days that were so relaxing you just had to bake at least twelve dozen cookies. It was this day in particular that no one forgot.

Taki, Koji, and Akio had reached the Hokage's office and knocked softly on the door. Taki looked behind himself to address Melina. She wasn't there anymore.

"I think we lost something." He muttered to the others.

The door opened and an old man in red and white Hokage hat beckoned them in. For an old man he didn't need a stick or walker to walk forward or backward. It must this kind of power that made him a Hokage.

He cleared his throat. "I understand you need traveler passes?" He asked the three men to clarify.

"Uh, yes." Taki replied. He studied the old man from the way that he walked to the way that he talked. There wasn't a single detail unnoted by the attendant.

"Good, good." The old man looked over the three men. "I understand you need four, is that not correct?"

"Indeed." Akio replied.

"Then, I must ask, where is the fourth member of your party?" He looked curiously from one man to the other.

"She, uh, she disappeared as we walked here." Koji explained.

"Hmm, now that is a problem." He pulled out a stamp pad and a stamp. "May I see your passports then?" They handed over four passports and each one was stamped "APPROVED" and then handed back to the owner or holder of the passport. "You're all set."

"Thank you, Hokage-sama." They kindly thanked him and left to go search for Melina. They split up in hopes of finding her faster.

"Hmm," Melina found herself being lightly nudged awake. "Hmm, Kiba-san?"

"Melina-chan, I think its time to wake up." It was getting darker now and soon it would be impossible to find any guardian of any sort. "We should probably find your par— I mean guardian before it gets late."

Melina sat up and rubbed her eyes. "Ok." She left the comfy spot on the couch and followed Kiba out the door of his home. Almost immediately, they were attacked by three ninja. Upon instinct, Kiba reached to his holster and pulled out a kunai.

"Melina-sama," the first one spoke, "Where have you been. It's late!"

"Oi, Melina-chan? You know them?" Kiba turned to girl at his side.

"Un," Melina nodded. She smiled at the newcomers. "Is it time to go already?" She asked them.

"Yes, Melina-sama. We must go before it gets too late and too dark." Taki instructed her. Melina nodded to what ever he said. Taki spoke again, "Excuse me sir?"

"Hmm?" Kiba pointed at himself. "What?"

"Can you direct us in the direction of the Inuzuka house?"

"And may I, sir, ask why you would need to go there?" Kiba looked at Taki suspiciously.

"And why do you care?" Taki and Kiba had electricity between their eyes now.

"Ah, um, please stop." Melina interjected. "Kiba has been really helpful to me. Please, Kiba, will you show us the way?"

Both men stopped. Kiba nodded reluctantly and led them back into the house in which they came. "_This_ is the Inuzuka household."

Melina blinked in surprise. If this was the house of the Inuzuka clan and Kiba was the one living here then that meant that…

"Kiba-san! You're the heir to the Inuzuka clan! Aren't I lucky?" Melina turned to Taki. "I already met the heir and didn't even know it!"

Kiba blinked in surprise at the girl's reaction. "Um, do you, uh, happen to be the guest my mother mentioned?" Kiba suddenly remembered.

"Un," Melina nodded. "It's nice to actually meet you, Kiba-sama."

Kiba blushed at the formalness. "Just Kiba-kun will work." He muttered.

The next day came by fast. The night before a huge party was thrown. All the adults except Akio got drunk that night. The noise level was also quiet loud and the house was in a mess by morning. All in all, they all learned not to give anyone any more liquor while they stayed in Konoha.

Melina stayed in the same room as Kiba. She slept on a mat on the floor that night and didn't mind one bit. The other three were put into guest bedrooms or a couch.

Now, being morning, Melina and Kiba headed off to the Academy in Konoha. Melina was transferring into Kiba's class for the rest of this year. This, Taki had told her, would help her to learn more about other ninja schools.

Melina immediately realized that they weren't as strict as her Academy. Many students were asleep instead of paying attention and none of the teachers seemed to stop this. There was, however, one teacher that did.

In her class, there was one student in particular that their teacher, Iruka-sensei, picked on. He was a blonde haired dobe he was always trying to get out of class. Anytime he wasn't trying to escape, he was found sleeping in a puddle of drool.

In the middle of the day, they were told to perform a jutsu they had learned the other day before they went to lunch. Everyone, including Melina who hadn't been there, was able to execute the jutsu. It was lunch now and that dobe was no where to be found.

"Hey, Kiba-kun?" Melina had been following him around like glue.

"What is it, Melina-chan?"

"What's with that blonde, uh, boy?" She didn't want to offend Kiba just incase they were close friends.

"Oh, that idiot?" Kiba inserted a laugh here. "He just all around sucks at being a ninja."

"Oh," Melina replied, "ok."

That night, Melina sat in Kiba's bedroom and went over her notes for the next day of school. She was such a dedicated student after her parents died.

Meanwhile, Koji, Taki, and Akio sat in the living room discussing something or other. Koji suddenly fished something out of his pouch.

"Taki-san," He turned and handed Taki the scroll he was given a few nights ago.

"What is this?" Taki asked fingered the paper in his hand and turned it over many times.

"Uh," Koji lowered his voice. "A Mist ninja gave it to me to give to you the first night we were camping out."

Silence filled the room as the three men starred at the parchment. The likeliness of this happening so fast was uncanny to them. It had not occurred to any of them what the Mist meant by this.

"Are you going to open it?" Koji broke the silence suddenly, watching Taki intently.

"Uh, I guess." Taki unrolled the parchment and read. "'On the night of the full moon, when all but darkness has sealed the land of which you are located, meet at the entrance. There, I will be waiting for you. If this doesn't start soon, I will carry this out myself.' "

It was clear between all of the men what they meant. "When is the full moon?" Koji asked.

"Tonight," Akio answered. He had been silent the whole time thinking about this. "Let's not worry about this. I will go, ok?"

With that strong tone of voice neither of the other men could disagree. They both nodded solemnly and turned in for the night. Akio stepped outside and was off in a flash to the entrance of Konoha.

There was a light knock on Kiba's door. Kiba got up from his video game to go answer it. "What is it?" He asked annoyed. "Oh, Melina-chan, it's for you." He walked back to his spot on the bed and turned back to the game.

"Taki-san? Koji-san? What can I help you with?" She asked.

"We're going to go to bed. You should get some rest soon, too." Taki ruffled her hair and kissed her on the forehead. "Sleep well, Melina-sama."

"Good night, Taki-san, Koji-san." Melina smiled at them both and they both walked down the hall to the guest bedrooms. Melina turned around and Kiba was gone. She shrugged and went back to studying.

It was five till midnight. Akio sat perched in a tree just outside Konoha. He watched in hope of the glimpse of a contact. It was now four till midnight. It was tiresome and troublesome to have to wait. Three till midnight. There was the sound of approaching footsteps in the distance. Two till midnight. The steps were closer and the presence of someone was very noticeable. One till midnight. The steps came to a stop and there was a rustle of clothe. Midnight.

Akio hoped down from the tree and met the contact face-to-face. He had dark hair and dark shinning black eyes. The forehead protector shown in the night with the symbol for Mist. He was the contact from the Hidden Mist Village.

"Akio-san?" He questioned the figure in front of him.

"You're exactly on time. You're never late, are you, Kei-san?" Akio commented.

Kei made a slight sound of recognition and continued, "When will we start? The other members are getting restless. If this doesn't start soon—"

"—What? What will happen? You'll follow through with the threat you originally made? We're not putting up with this shit from you Mist guys anymore." Akio interjected.

"Ah, um, well, no but I mean…" Kei muttered. "I'm just saying that we're ready."

"Two days."

"Huh?"

"Two days. We will start in two days. Meet fifty meters away from the entrance to Konoha two days from now. I will have one of my underlings meet and lead you to, well you know."

"Haii!" Kei saluted Akio and disappeared.

Akio nodded and walked back to the village.

The next day, Konoha was brighter than ever. It seemed such a shame to just waste it. Melina got up early and took her dog for a small walk around the vicinity of Kiba's home. After that, Melina came back inside and eat breakfast with everyone.

"Why don't you come with me to the Konoha soccer match today?" Kiba asked during breakfast. There was a long discussion beforehand about having nothing to do today. Kiba finally decided he should invite Melina along.

"Soccer! That sounds fun! Thanks Kiba."

After breakfast, Kiba led Melina to a large field. Several kids, ninja Melina guessed, were already there warming up. There were also several adults chasing some of the presumed ninja around and getting them organized. Kiba pointed out an area where Melina could watch and then went to go warm up with the others.

Melina sat and watched Kiba running across the field to meet up with two other boys. He seemed so happy to just have the chance to relax.

Kiba's dog, Akamaru, joined Melina and her puppy to watch Kiba play. Kiba's team consisted of a chubby boy, a boy with a bored expression and dark hair in a ponytail, that blonde idiot, and quiet, dark haired girl with strangely whit eyes. The other team consisted of a raven haired guy that all the girls were swooning over, a bright pink haired girl, a blonde haired girl, a guy with long, dark hair and strange white eyes, and guy with a bowl cut hair style.

The game began. Melina found herself standing up and cheering every now and again. It was a pretty close game. Kiba's team seemed to have a good strategy, but the other team had strength and power. By the end of the game, the score was tied. The boys and girls decided to give it a rest and pick up the game again next Friday.

Kiba and Melina walked home chatting about the game in excited voices. It was the most either one of them had said to each other. They were becoming so close and it seemed such a shame that it'd end in a short amount of time. Melina wanted to make the best of it.

"So, what are we doing tomorrow?" Melina asked curiously as they neared Kiba's house.

Kiba shrugged looking into the distance.

Silence settled between the two and they soon arrived back at Kiba's. Kiba went to a cupboard and pulled out a bag of dog food.

Melina wandered around the house because she was bored. She was as bored as a board. She had nothing to do but wander around the house. Taki, Koji, and Akio had gone out earlier this morning, Kiba's mom had gone on a mission in the early afternoon, and Kiba's sister was out on "running errands" or so she claimed.

After everyone got home, dinner, made by Melina, was served. It was actually pretty good which surprised most. After dinner, they decided to play a game of charades. Through this, they found out that Kiba was just plain awful at charades. By this time, the stars had come out and it was time for everyone to get some sleep.

Morning arose slowly the next day. The sun filter lightly into Kiba's room and Melina yawned softly. She was used to getting up to the sun. She noticed Kiba was softly snoring. Any other day she wouldn't have noticed. It was Kiba's nature, she had realized, to wake up to the sun. He always woke up before the sun. _He must be tired from the game yesterday._ Melina told herself. She got up softly and left.

Melina sat on the roof of Kiba's house, admiring the beautiful scenery Konoha had to offer.

"What are you doing up so early?"

Melina turned around and looked at Koji. "Ah, nothing, Koji-san."

"Hmm," He replied lightly. "Do you like it here in Konoha?"

"Hmm?" Melina asked at the strange question. "Yeah, I guess I do. It's so pretty here. Who wouldn't like it?"

Koji chuckled. "I guess you're right, Melina-sama. And," he paused. He wanted to ask her this next question but didn't know how to ask. "And, do you like, uh, living?"

"Living?" Melina asked curiously at her mentor/attendant. "What do you mean by that?"

"Ah, uh, I guess I mean, do you like living? Do you enjoy life? Would you be sad if you were to die soon?" Koji jumbled his words together and barley making sense.

"Uh, I guess. I have great mentors," She smiled at Koji here, "And I've made nice friends. I don't see why I wouldn't enjoy being around. I guess I'd be sad if I _had_ to die. But, who really chooses to die?"

"That makes sense," Koji replied, "Melina-sama."

"Hmm?" She asked. He never finished his thought.

Melina sat on the roof again that night. The stars were the brightest here. She had never been somewhere where there were so many stars lighting up the night sky.

"Melina-sama? It's getting late." Taki told her from the open window.

"Ok Taki-san. Thanks." She sighed slightly and thought some more about her ever shortening time here in Konoha.

"Is something the matter?" Taki came up and sat next to her.

"It's nothing. I was just," She paused and looked at Taki, "Have you ever wanted something to last forever?"

"Last forever?" Taki asked her. "Don't you think it'd get old if it lasted forever?"

"Yeah, but the stars are really old but they never get boring. Does that mean that only some things should get old?" Melina questioned.

"Hmm," Taki thought. "I guess it all depends on what it is. Is there something you want to last forever?"

"Uh," Melina blushed. "I guess I'd like you to always be there. I wish places didn't have to fight ever either. I guess I just want peace, like this, to last forever."

"Hmm," Taki said. "You know what?"

"What?"

"Cheer up! Things happen for certain reasons that you can't control. Don't worry about it."  
"I guess you're right." Melina replied. "I guess I should sleep?" Melina and Taki went back inside and to bed.

The next morning, Akio was the first up. He made up a quick excuse to leave the house.

Next, Taki awoke and roamed around the outside of the house. He wasn't sure what to do. It was midmorning before he finally decided to go out and buy breakfast.

Koji had not returned last night and no one knew where he was.

Melina awoke shortly after Kiba and they decided to go for a walk together. They had a nice chat about school and both were becoming quite attached to the other. They had a brother-sister thing going on. Kiba could be the sweetest guy one minute and picking on Melina the next.

Melina enjoyed spending time with Kiba and realized even more that it wouldn't always be like this.

"Say, Kiba?" Melina looked inquiringly at the dog boy.

"Nani?" He asked his fellow dog girl.

"Uh, I was wondering if you'd ever come to Sand?" Melina blushed slightly at her rude question. "I mean, it'd be cool if you could, but if you don't want to—"

"That'd be a fun thing to do," Kiba smiled at the younger girl. "I'd love to come and see what your clan is like."

"Really! Ah! That'd be totally cool." Melina replied. She was ecstatic the rest of the day.

The afternoon was dwindling down. The sun was setting and contrasted nicely with the colors of the sky. Melina was watching from the roof of the house again for that slight sign of purple. She was very drowsy from her "long" day.

It had gotten quite dark outside the gates of Konoha. There were very few ninja still around. Most had gone home to their families for a well deserved rest. Others were out on late night missions.

There was group standing right before the gates of Konoha. A dark figure was outlined by the setting sun and stood in front of the group shouting last minute orders.

"Does everyone fully understand?" The man asked.

"Haii!" They all saluted the other man.

"Then, first team… GO!" A small group of men disappeared in a lightning speed. They ran through the now silent streets of Konoha. Not single person realized someone was here.

"Which way?" One of them whispered loud enough for the others to hear.

"You go that way," Another pointed, "I'll go this way, and you go that way." The three men separated and went off into the still dark and getting darker streets.

Melina sat on the roof falling asleep. It was a surprise when three men stood before her as her eyes dropped into dream land. _Who are these men?_ She thought.

One man gently lifted her up and chuckled. "This is too easy!"  
"Where's the challenge?" Another asked.

"Let's move." Melina saw the flash of a kunai and one man's forehead protector fly off his head and catch into the wall of Kiba's house.

"Leave the girl and GO!" The new man appeared. His face was very clear to Melina. Melina's eyes finally closed as the last fading view in her mind was Koji standing poised to strike.

"Kaa-san! Kaa-san! Look what I made at the Academy today!" The younger Melina held up a beautifully strewn head band of flowers.

"That's pretty," Melina's mother didn't even look up from her sewing to see.

"Kaa-san! You didn't even look!" Melina complained puffing out her cheeks. "Please look."

"OK, let me see, Melina-chan." She took the headband and placed on Melina's head. "There, now isn't that pretty."

Melina smiled sheepishly. "Yeah. I'll go show daddy!" Melina rushed out the room and down the hall. "Daddy look! Look!"

Melina entered a room in another hall and saw the through the screen door. The outline of her father wasn't moving.

"Daddy?" She tapped lightly on the screen door. "Daddy, can I come in? I have something to show you." Melina pushed open the screen door and looked at the hanging body of her father before her.

"Daddy!" She screamed. Melina's mother came tearing down the hall at her daughters scream. She saw the not so bloody body of her husband hanging from the ceiling of his work room. Melina's mother started bawling.

"Kaa-san! Why did daddy do this?" Melina asked burying her face in her mother's apron. "Why did… why did daddy?" Melina was in tears and almost in hysterics.

Melina's mother couldn't figure it out. Dressed in all black, she watched as people placed white flowers on her husband's grave. All of them were members of the clan and close friends and relatives of him. She let a single tear run down her cheek. They had been the ideal family: A loving mother devoted to making the family happy, a caring father who supported the father, and a sweet daughter who couldn't be happier. It was a shame.

Melina clung tightly to her mom's black dress. She was scared and sad. She watched the other clan members as the put their flower down and then gave the family a sympathetic look. Some even stopped to whisper some words of encouragement. Melina buried her face in her mother's skirt and cried.

"Don't worry. Daddy's smiling on us now." Her mom had knelt down to her level to reassure her. Tears stained her cheeks and her eyes were red from the night before.

Melina took her mom's hand and held it close to her heart. She nodded meekly.

"Melina-sama. Melina-sama?"

Melina regained consciousness and starred into the face of Koji. She rubbed her eyes while getting into a sitting position. "Koji-san? Where am I? What's going on?"

Koji averted his eyes and started taking deep interest in a nearby flower.

"Koji-san?" Melina followed his gaze to the flower and then looked back at him. "Koji-san, what happened? The last thing I remember is you fighting those guys."

"So, you were still awake when I came," He put his hand to the back of his head and looked back at Melina. "I'm sorry. I was _originally_ a part of this." He added the "_originally_" to show the fact that he was no longer a part of whatever "this" was.

"What's going on? Why were there Mist ninjas in Konoha?" Melina starred unblinkingly at the dark haired man in front of her. She shifted in her position to sit on her knees. In this change of position, she noticed another dark haired figure off to Koji's left.

"It happened awhile ago," Koji admitted.

Melina focused her attention on Koji again. "What happened?"

"It…it was a deal we, I mean Akio and Taki, made with the Mist. I got involved for one reason and one reason alone. I didn't mean for it to actually happen though."

Melina looked curiously at her attendant. "Nani?"

Koji chuckled lightly. "I only helped so I could protect you. Now they're on our trail."

"Who? Koji-san, tell me what's going on!" The urgency in voice shocked both Koji and the other boy.

Kiba managed to pull his composer back together first. He averted his eyes again and looked intently at Melina. He muttered a few words that were incoherent. He then stated as bluntly as possible, "The Mist want you dead."

Melina's eyes doubled in size. Her mouth hit the floor. "The Mist?" She managed to say the name. Koji nodded solemnly.

The other boy suddenly spoke up and Melina got a clear view of who it was. "We better get going. They've realized where we are."

"Kiba?" Melina asked as she was quickly moved off the ground and in the air. "Gah!"

"This is the fastest way," Koji was carrying Melina piggy-back through trees and whatnot. Kiba followed closely behind them.

It was midday again before they got to rest. They were now miles away from Konoha. Melina sprawled herself out in the middle of their camp. Kiba took to sitting in a tree keeping a close lookout. Koji was making strategies in the sand.

Night fell again and Melina had curled into a ball for the night. Kiba had fallen asleep on the ground close to Melina in a protective manner. Koji had been on lookout when he, too, fell asleep.

Three ninja approached the camp. They were masked by darkness for a few minutes watching the camp, making sure nothing was going to pop out at them and kill them instantly.

The stepped into the slight clearing and moonlight uncovered their faces. Akio, Kei, and Taki all stood before the young girl.

"Amazing they made it this far." Taki muttered gently picking up the girl and positioning her on his back.

"Let's move before they realize our presence." Akio told the others. The three of them disappeared into the night again. It wasn't long until they arrived back at their own camp.

"Here she is." Taki slid Melina off his shoulders and onto some sheets that were set up on the ground.

"Finally we can get our revenge on the Kezuka clan." Kei stated maliciously. There was some evil laughter from some of the other men there.

"And with Melina-_sama_," Akio mocked the –sama ending to Melina's name, "I can become the heir to the Kezuka clan. That brat will be the best thing ever to get rid of."

"And with her gone, I can finally become the kind of subordinate I was meant to be," Taki interjected his opinion on the matter, "Instead of a stupid _attendant_."

"Killing her on these white sheets will also make her suffer more. So we should do it while she's awake." The men all agreed on this and headed off to sleep with a tight security watching Melina.

The sun rose and spread bright light over Koji and Kiba's lightly tanned skin. There was only one thing missing from this morning that Koji quickly realized.

Koji sat straight up and looked around. A not so foreign scent filled his nose. "Melina-sama." He quickly shook Kiba awake and told him what he assumed happened.

"Then let's move quickly. They can't have gone too far, right?" Kiba woke Akamaru up and told him to follow Melina's scent.

They traced the scent to a small camp. It was still dark enough for a few guards to be roaming around. In the middle of this "guard circle" a pile of white sheets lay on the floor with the slight trace of brown hair showing out of one side and the trace of a figure breathing underneath. (That made no sense.)

"That has to be her," Kiba replied looking at Akamaru to make sure he agreed.

"Yes," Koji replied. "I've worked out a strategy for this." He drew a small diagram in the sand. "You do carry shuriken and kunai with you, right?" He added as he drew a sad excuse for an attack plan.

"Un." Kiba replied.

Four shuriken come out from behind a bush nailing two men. These men died on the spot. The guards turned toward the bush. While concentrating on this, six more shuriken killed three more guards. The remaining guard turned to the other bush and he was killed instantly by Koji striking from behind.

"So much for security," Koji noted. A little bit of blood had sprayed onto the white sheets.

At this moment, Akio and Taki had realized that there was a disturbance outside. They quickly rushed out of one of the tents to see the six guards lying dead. They quickly noted the blood and the intruder: Koji.

"Koji! What the hell is this about?" Taki "politely" asked.

"Killing time, what does it look like I'm doing?" Koji asked sarcastically.

Amidst the next few name calling, Melina woke up to the scene before her. The first thing she noticed was her clan members arguing. The next was the blood. At the sight of this she curled into a ball and started whimpering.

Taki and Koji had now taken to fighting with shuriken and kunai. They clashed together, pushing each other the opposite direction, until they separated into separate corners. They got right back at each others throats. At the third failed attempt, they took to fist fighting. They each dodged each others attacks. Koji'd kick and Taki would put up an arm in defense. Taki'd attempt to punch Koji hard in the face when Koji'd put up a hand up and grabbing Taki's hand and then punching back. Taki would immediately block this the same way. They'd push again until they finally broke apart.

A whole five minutes in and they were panting heavily. Kiba stood at the sideline watching these two go at each other. This is what real ninja look like. This is how they fight. This is what it means being a ninja: fighting for what you believe in.

Melina was still sitting curled in a ball. Memories filled her mind as she started to bite her lip.

"The blood," She kept muttering. "The blood. The blood. Get it away. The blood."

The red dots that had originally landed on the sheets had grown in size. They were the color of crimson, a dark red spreading over white. Melina whimpered in a ball.

Chink! Clink! The sound of shuriken hitting together sounded just down the hall. Melina rushed toward the sound. A weird feeling shot up the back of her spine. She rounded a corner and landed herself in the middle of a battle.

Kunai stuck into the side of the walls and there was that ever evident smell of blood had filled the room. Ninja lay dead or passed out on either side of the room. In the very center, two ninja still raged on fighting.

There was the dark haired man jumping from one wall to the other with a kunai held at (bent) arms length. He had a forehead protector slightly askew on his head. The symbol was facing toward Melina and it had the symbol for Mist on it.

The other ninja was a female ninja. Light brown hair covered the forehead protector on her head and her face. She was following the other ninja as to not get killed herself.

A few more minuets passed and the male ninja threw a shuriken. The female ninja easily dodged it easily. Unrenowned to her, the shuriken had a string attached to it. The male ninja yanked the string and the shuriken went right through the female ninja. Blood spurted every where. It landed directly on Melina's clothing and face. The female ninja fell to the ground with a soft thump.

Melina rushed to the female ninja's body. She peered at the face and tears stung in her eyes. "Mom!" Melina yelled at the dark haired women in front of her. "Mom! Come back!"

The dark haired women looked back at her. "Goodbye." She said softly. Her body was stained with blood and she had a blank expression. The only emotion shown was a smile on her face.

"Mom! No! Don't leave me! I don't want you to leave me! Please don't!" Melina's desperate attempt was meaningless. The women, her mother, closed her eyes and drifted into a new place.

Melina picked up the shuriken her mother was holding. It was stained red from the force of her grip. Melina threw it with all her rage bound into it at the male ninja. The unsuspecting ninja fell ungracefully to the floor.

Melina started crying. She put her hand on her mother's heart getting blood all over them. "Mom." She shook with pain and sadness. The blood. The red. The markings. They were a symbol of this, of this disastrous world. They were there to show the pain one had, the pain that can only be felt when a hole is left in your heart.

Melina took her blood stained hands to her eyes and ran a finger down to her cheek. It left a long red streak. She repeated this until it turned into a triangle shape. Melina left this room crying and went back to the clan house to find someone to care enough to help set up a funeral.

Melina shivered at this thought. All the blood. All the memories. All her worse fears were coming back. It was a nightmare.

Taki suddenly fell victim to the same kind of attack as her mother. The only difference was that it grazed his back and shoulder. He was unable to fight anymore. He was bleeding out a lot.

Melina whimpered in the corner as Akio took Taki's place.

"Why does she deserve to live?" Akio asked Koji. "What makes her so special? What makes her my leader?"

"You followed bother her parents and you can't accept following her?" Koji asked.

"Followed her parents?" Akio chuckled. "Like hell I did! I wasn't part of the clan until after they died, or don't you remember?"

A kunai came flying at Koji as he was trying to comprehend what Akio had just said. "You're right. You weren't a member. You joined. Can you do that?"

Koji threw a shuriken and a kunai. Hidden in the shadows of those the real shuriken and kunai lay. They hit there target which turned out to be a log. Akio appeared behind Koji and stabbed his shoulder with a shuriken. Koji jumped away and held his shoulder. The pain wasn't bad but the blood loss was going to hurt him.

"Actually, you can join a clan. The only way is under oath. My father was a clan member originally anyway." Akio smirked. "Doesn't it pay to have a high ranked father?"

Koji dodge another oncoming of kunai and shuriken. "What do you mean?"

"Ha," Akio laughed. He threw a couple more shuriken and then sat back. "My father was the old leader of the clan."

"The old leader?" Kiba looked at both fighters.

"So you can guess that when I came back after he had gone missing, I was welcomed with open arms into the clan."

"Open arms my ass! We were struggling to keep our clan going. Of course we'd invite someone who had genes connected to the old clan leader." Koji stood again and threw some more shuriken. He was almost out.

Two battles were too much. Koji fell shortly after this conversation. Akio advanced toward Melina. He took her hand wiped some of the blood he had gotten from the battle on her.

Melina jumped at this sudden feeling of blood on her hand. She wasn't used to the feeling or blood nor did she like blood to begin with.

"Why? Why do you have to do this?" She looked at Akio.

"Revenge darling. Revenge for kicking out my dad from the clan. Revenge for taking my spot as the heir. Revenge for all the pain and suffering you have caused me and my father."

"I didn't do that! I didn't!" Melina promised Akio. She was now running away from him through the camp, jumping over dead bodies and blood, lots of blood. She tried her best not to puke or pass out. She picked up shuriken and kunai covered in blood. She threw them with the most pathetic power hitting her target but doing next to nothing damage. She was pursued closer and closer to Konoha. Kiba followed them closely.

It was twenty minutes into the chase when two ninja joined in on the fight. They were both from Konoha and both from the Inuzuka clan. Kiba recognized them immediately and suddenly remembered he had weapons of his own.

It was the best element of surprise displayed by any ninja below the rank of Genin. Kiba threw a shuriken and a kunai, just one. It hit its mark with enough power to stop it.

In this time, his sister and mother had the chance to both attack. His mom summoned up a couple of the family dogs and inserted her own technique as well. His sister displayed excellent use of shuriken and kunai use. They each hit the mark.

Melina stopped running and starred at the body of her ex-attendant being torn to shreds. It was awful, violent, and bloody. Melina looked away and grimaced. Melina couldn't stand this any longer. She fell faint and landed in someone's arms. The image of her mom flashed through her mind.

A week later, Melina awoke in a white hospital room. A nurse stood beside the bed scribbling something on a clipboard. She turned and looked at the flowers at her bedside. She smiled for a brief second.

"Where am I?" Melina asked.

The nurse turned and looked at her. "Melina-chan, you're awake. Glad to see your doing better." The nurse smiled at her. "You've been out of it for a week."

"I have? Oh," Melina replied. "Where's Koji-san? Is he alright?"

The nurse laughed. "Relax. Koji-kun is fine. He's resting in the next room. His injuries aren't bad at all. Would you like to go see him?"

"May I?" Melina asked.

"Of course." The nurse led her slowly into the next room. Koji lay on a bed asleep.

"He looks fine. You guys—girls—are great." She hugged the nurse.

There was a light knock on the door to Koji's room. "Nurse-chan?" A voice asked.

"Ah, Kiba-kun. Can I help you with something?"

"May I talk to Melina-san, alone?" The nurse smiled and Kiba and Melina walked back to the other room.

Melina noticed the Leaf forehead protector on his forehead. "You're a Genin now?" She asked curiously.

"Yeah," Kiba replied. "We tested a few days ago. Are you feeling better?"

"Yeah, much thanks." Melina replied.

"For what?"

"You helped didn't you? I know." Melina replied. She smiled at the boy. "I really appreciate it."

"Yeah, anytime." Kiba blushed slightly. "Can you leave the hospital for awhile? My mom wants you to come to dinner."

Melina looked out the door and saw the nurse. She had been eavesdropping and nodded in reply. "Sure."

"Let's go." Kiba grabbed Melina's hand and Melina followed him down the hall and out the Konoha Hospital doors.

_Mom, I hope I've made you proud. Even if I couldn't defeat him myself, I over came this. I will live on and further the clan. I will protect the others._

The End.

Kia:Ok, well here's the first Narutofic I've written. All Naruto characters that are in here are not mine. They are Masashi Kishimoto-san. However, all other characters are mine... Moving on,I hope you liked it. Tell me what you thought, it's what keeps me motivated to write the Sequel.


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